The Sea's Sacrifices
by Takara Phoenix
Summary: Every year, the merpeople sacrifice a beautiful virgin to a seemingly endless pit, in fear of the gods. They don't know that the pit is a rift in the seabed, leading to the underworld. So when it's Percy's time to be sacrificed, he wakes up chained to the throne of the demon prince of the underworld, Nico. demon!Nico/merman!Percy slash mpreg Nicercy


PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || The Sea's Sacrifices || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: The Sea's Sacrifices – And the Underworld's Blessings

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; merman/demon AU

PJatO Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, of course. They are all copyright by the old Greeks. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, explicit intercourse, anal, interspecies relationships, mermen, demons, slavery, mpreg, breeding, shoujo-ai, hetero, threesome

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Hades/Poseidon, Thanatos/Triton, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Reyna/Annabeth, Jason/Piper, Chris/Clarisse, Charles/Silena

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Triton, Thanatos, Poseidon, Hades, Annabeth Chase, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Piper McLean, Jason Grace, Clarisse la Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Silena Beauregard, Charles Beckendorf

Own Characters: Bianca Maria di Angelo, Hades Poseidon di Angelo

Summary: There is a volcanic rift under the sea, one the merpeople are horribly afraid of. Once a year, they sacrifice a male virgin, throwing him into the volcano. The youngling – always a carrier, born with the ability to bear children – represented the fertility of their bountiful sea. That the royals of the sea don't know is that the rift is a direct connection to the underworld and the sacrificed virgins reach the other side unharmed. Demons, who often suffer from infertility or die during childbirth, view the fertile beauties as a god send and keep them as lust slaves. Only the most beautiful specimen were kept by the royal family themselves. When it's Percy's turn to be sacrificed, he welcomes death. Instead, he wakes up chained to Prince Nico's throne in the underworld.

**The Sea's Sacrifices**

_And the Underworld's Blessings_

The sea was Percy's one true love. It was, in fact, the only love he had. The only thing he had.

His mother had died during childbirth, his father had never been mentioned before so Percy had never known him. There were no grandparents to take the child in – not on his unknown father's side, not on his mother's side for they had died at the hands and harpoons of humans. So the merboy had spend his youth in an orphanage. It was fine, he knew nothing else, after all. Unlike others, who had lost their parents later and still had memories. Percy had no memories of his mother, nothing to miss, no stories of tenderness and love. Though at the darkest of night, he liked to close his eyes and picture it – all the memories and stories he had missed, how she may have brought him to bed and kissed his cheek, how she would have sung for him and played with him. But it were stupid fantasies, all he had was the orphanage. A small, dirty place, on the outskirts of Olympus – the brightest, most beautiful city of the ocean, ruled by King Zeus and Queen Hera.

The king was wildly known for his affairs with the beautiful and tempting, which was the reason why the queen had developed a certain... hatred. See, there were four kinds of merpeople – two male and two female, two dominant and two submissive. A submissive, whether male or female, could carry younglings. And the queen held a deep-seated hatred for the most beautiful submissives for they were what tempted her husband. She blamed them for his unfaithfulness. The sad thing was, she had found a way to compensate for his affairs, to channel her anger.

Percy knew of a place, a scary place, a place not even the bravest dominants would dare to come close to. A rift, splitting black stone into two, a dark and seemingly endless pit that spit lava and emitted heat. _Fire_. The impossible enemy, the one that should not be within the ocean. And the merpeople feared it, have always feared it and would always fear it. Now it had been a young Hera however who had spun her very own tail around the rift, when she had first found her husband laying with a gorgeous submissive. The rift was a sign of anger from the gods and to appease the gods, they needed to make sacrifices. Beautiful, tempting sacrifices. Every year, the people of Olympus would throw the 'most beautiful of submissives' into the pit, so he or she may pleasure the gods and distract them from the merpeople. A virgin, of course, for we would not wish to anger the gods with 'damaged goods'. One that had reached their mating age that year. For those were the king's preferred pattern of prey. Only barely off age and of excellent beauty. The queen seemed to believe that with every sacrifice, he got rid of one who would have become her mate's mistress.

Every year, always the same. Now, the reason why Percy had no one aside from the sea was that his brother by anything but blood, his closest confident and friend, Leo, he had been thrown into the pit last year. Percy didn't believe in the gods, he knew better. A former friend of his, Annabeth, who had been sacrificed the year before Leo, she had been a clever girl. Most clever person Percy knew. She said there were no gods who would split the ground out of spite, it had been an earthquake, a normal natural disaster that no one could control. Just a split in the Earth, nothing else. A volcano. Which meant that whoever got thrown into the pit simply died.

So when the royal guards came to gather him the day before The Sacrifice, he mentally prepared himself for death. Knowing it would all be over in the morning, he ignored the humiliation of being cleaned and prettied up and wrapped in beautiful silk for entertainment purpose. The only thing that kept him going was that once it would be over, he would be reunited with Annabeth and Leo in the netherworld. He endured everything, he just wanted to get the sacrificing over with.

/break\

The underworld was a beautiful yet dull place. Especially so for a prince. A peasant, they may roam the streets and the fields. But a prince, he was stuck in the castle most of the time. At least that was how Nico di Angelo della Morte – of the angels of death, in their native language, a demon of the underworld, son of the ruler of demons. Demons, angels of death. And Nico was one of them, with the wide-spread, black-feathered wings of a death angel. A member of the royal family even, a prince. His father was the king, King Hades di Angelo della Morte. He had many siblings, which was rare for demons, but he was closest to his younger sister Hazel. He spend most of his time with her, or with Reyna and Annabeth. It was standard that every member of the royal family had one guard and one servant, they mostly chose a mated pair as such, to ensure loyalty better than with two uncalculated risks. One who had given the oath of loyalty to a mate would honor such an oath. And Reyna was Nico's guard, her mate Annabeth was Nico's servant.

Though Annabeth was different from most. At least from most in the underworld.

She wasn't a demon, she was a blessing. A mermaid, as she called herself. But the demons called them blessings from the gods. For every year, on the exact same time, a creature of unmeasurable beauty would appear at the most dangerous rift the underworld had. Up until twenty-five years ago, no demon would have dared to come close to the rift known as Tartarus, but then the first of those creatures had appeared. The king at time – Hades' father – had taken the creature captive and they had studied it. Aside from incomparable beauty, they bore the gift of life.

Demons were not very fertile. They had a hard time falling pregnant, if they could become pregnant at all. And even then, they often miscarried or at least the mother would in childbirth. King Hades himself had lost three mates to this – only Bianca's mother had lived long enough to give birth to a second child, but Nico's birth had just been too much. Truth was, Nico didn't want to know what kind of 'tests' his grandfather had allowed the scientists to do to discover _that_, but it was a blessing for them. Especially since they turned up every year. The king soon acted wise – he gathered the creature and sold it to the highest bidder. And oh, the price was high for a creature that practically guaranteed a safe birth. Only with the years did they learn just how fertile those gorgeous creatures truly were. The money – so much Nico could hardly believe it sometimes – however never went to the private vaults of the king, it was always spend on the people. To build new homes and schools and hospitals, to ensure health for all demons of the realm and that every demon had food on the table and clothes on their backs. Or at least that is what it had been spend of ever since Hades took over as king. His kindness was what made his people love him so much.

Now, Nico knew of how fertile the gorgeous creatures were from his own familiar experiences. Not from his own, but from those of his family. Thanatos, his older brother, Bianca, his full-blood sister, and Hazel may be his demon-siblings, true royals as the folk may call hem, but he had more than them. They just would never follow onto the throne, since Thanatos and Nico were first in line for the throne and as long as there were four pure-blooded demons, the halflings would never become king or queen. Well, what came after their generation may change that.

Nico had more siblings. There were Benthesikyme, Cymopoleia and Rhode, his sisters. And Proteus, Orion and Theseus, his brothers. All six of them lived in a camp near the ocean, to be trained by Chiron. All royal off-springs were trained by Chiron. It was the first step, for Hades knew that once Thanatos would become king, a blessing would be the royal consort and halflings would be the princes and princesses. He was making things easier for the future, knowing that his heir would be a full-blood demon, because by the time any of his six half-blood children would reach the age of coronation, Thanatos or maybe even Nico would already sit upon the throne. Still, it was the mere fact that the blessing Hades had taken to keep for himself ten years ago had gifted him with six children over the course of those ten years. It was incredible and all the reason more why Hades had deeply fallen in love with the merman called Poseidon, the mother of six of his children.

It wasn't just his father though. Thanatos too had taken one of the blessings, five years ago. A young male named Triton. So far, Triton had given birth to three half-bloods – Triteia, Calliste and Pallas. They were still tiny and not much entertainment for Nico, but he liked the way Thanatos loved them. The fatherly pride in his big brother's eyes. It was adorable.

When the royal family had gathered two years ago to inspect that year's blessing, he had seen the spark of interest in Reyna's eyes. Reyna was his best friend and Nico had always wanted her to be his guard. So he had begged his father and spend his own money to buy the golden-tinted mermaid for Reyna. Reyna and Annabeth had become mates soon after.

Last year's blessing too had found his way into the royal palace. The young merboy with the reddish skin and the dark curls and mischievous eyes had captured Hazel's interest and she and her mate Frank had decided to keep the boy to themselves. It had been Hazel's birthday present that year to keep the merboy named Leo all to herself. She had been overjoyed. He was pregnant at the moment.

"Would you mind stopping this?!", exclaimed Reyna annoyed, glaring at him.

He looked up, surprised. Ripped out of his thoughts. Tilting his head, he frowned at her confused.

"Stopping what?", asked the prince.

"You're pacing", replied Annabeth, waving a hand into his general direction.

"I'm bored", huffed Nico, close to pouting, and sat down on his throne.

His fingers, even without his consent, found their way to the golden ring attached to the right armrest of the throne. A golden ring to bind a chain to, the chain to a pet. Well, blessing. It was what the blessings became, essentially. Pets, lust slaves to the highest bidder, used for breeding mostly.

Annabeth looked up at him curiously, the golden chain around her neck rattling at the movement. It was only for appearance purposes really, because everyone at the palace knew that Annabeth was far more than just a pet to Reyna. The young mermaid had her legs crossed beneath her body. They looked nearly human when they were out of the water. They had fins – lining the rim of their ears in a nearly endearing way, between their fingers, along the length outside of their upper arms and thighs. Their skin was glimmering in the most fantastic colors – which was what made them so special. Most demons had darker skin, dark hair, dark eyes, black wings. Everything was, generally speaking, dark. So their colorful bodies made them even more desirable. They only had legs when outside the water. Once they touched water again, their legs would grow together and turn into a tail not unlike that of a wish. They were incredible swimmers – which was why the six youngest children of Hades were being trained by Chiron at the lake (and Hades and Poseidon spend most of their time there with the children since they were still relatively young and since Hades could ease Thanatos and Nico into their kingly duties that way). Mermaids and merboys needed contact to saltwater at least once a day. Which was why there were canals running through all of Elysium, their capitol city. And water tanks inside the palace.

"If we sneak out now, we would be the first ones at the rift. We may even get to see how this year's sacrifice lands here", mused Annabeth softly, mischievous grin on her face.

Sacrifices, what the merboys and mermaids called those that ended up here. Sacrifices, blessings, merpeople, all different words for the very same captivating creatures. Annabeth had told them, in private, where they came from. The royal family had deemed it better for others not to know. If the other realms of the underworld – those who paid such horrendous prices for the blessings – if those people were to know that on the other side of the rift was a whole world with those mesmerizing creatures, there would be war. The forces of the underworld would break through and slaughter, capture and rape. Demolish the world Annabeth knew as home, kill anyone who would oppose them and sell all others into slavery. This way, there was only one slave per year. Was it the best solution? No. Was it a better solution than the alternative? Definitely.

"That is a horrible idea, Annabeth. We're not sneaking out to look at the next pretty thing that lands here", objected Reyna with a glare, tugging a little on the golden leash to make a point.

Annabeth huffed as she got pulled forward. "You can spank me later if you think it's such a bad idea, but I think our prince here is not going to sit around any longer."

"Let's go to the rift. Maybe this year's blessing-sacrifice will be more interesting. No offense, Annabeth, but you have a few too many curves for my taste. And Leo is definitely too... Leo for my taste", snorted Nico and shook his head. "Nothing against Leo, I can live with him. Just not..."

"Not as a mate", concluded Annabeth with a nod. "You want one of my kin as your mate, because you love children. Oh, don't look so scandalized. I don't need to be the genius that I am to see how much you cherish your younger siblings and your nieces. You practically glow whenever you have one of them sitting on your knee, demanding stories from you. You love children and your best chance to have many own children is one of my kin."

Nico remained silent at that. He always thought his cold and grumpy exterior may fool people, but his family – and the private servants of their family surely can be considered family too – seemed to be hard to fool. Yes, he loved children. With their chubby cheeks and bright eyes, their laughter and joy. The easy excitement and all the adoration they held. He wanted children himself, many children. But with a demon as a mate he would always have to fear for his mate's life, or that of their unborn children, if there would even be the possibility of more than one.

The trio was fast, knew how to reach the rift without being seen. And what they found when they reached the rift made Nico believe in the gods an in those creatures being the gods' blessing. He was beautiful, he was perfection. Pale, bluish skin, but pitch-black and messy hair in contrast to the pale skin. Blue pearls were braided into the black hair, nearly see-through blue silk sparsely wrapped around the lithe yet athletic body. Long legs that were connected to the roundest, most perfect looking behind Nico had ever seen – and he had stared at a lot of butts in his life, if he may be that blunt. He looked so frail, unconscious like that, but he had the muscles of a fighter and Nico didn't doubt the boy would, if awake, be easily capable of kicking the asses of half their legion.

"Percy!", exclaimed Annabeth, clasping her hands over her mouth. "Oh gods!"

"You know him? You already knew Leo, for the gods' sake!", grunted Reyna skeptically.

"Percy, he was... he was in the same orphanage as Leo and I", whispered Annabeth, kneeling beside the unconscious boy and feeling his pulse. "Oh, he's alright... Thank the gods..."

"This orphanage you're from, it seems to harbor _a lot_ of gorgeous creatures", noted Nico and cocked one eyebrow, leaning down to cradle Percy up into his arms. "Sh, rest, mio bello."

He kissed Percy's forehead tenderly as the boy groaned at the movement. The travel through the rift didn't kill them, but it was quite painful. Nico motioned for the girls to follow her.

/break\

Okay, this did definitely not feel like paradise. His head hurt and the rest of his body wasn't feeling any better. Was he... still alive...? Groaning hoarsely, he sat up. Yes, the aching of his muscles was definitely a sign of him being alive. Being dead would be a relieve compared to all of this pain.

"Ouch", mumbled Percy, blinking his eyes blearily.

Mh, well, on second thought, this could be paradise. He laid on a soft underground, like he pictured clouds to feel. Patting the underground, he looked at it. Fluffy pillows. Fluffy, large pillows. Dozens of them. The next thing he noticed was a heavy weight around his neck. Frowning confused, he grabbed for it. A collar. Connected to a golden chain. A blush light up his face. He was wearing a collar, with a chain. This was like out of one of the kinky stories the older kids used to tell them at the orphanage. Leo and him used to blush and giggle and whisper – dreaming of a strong mate to try all those things out with. So yes, there was a possibility of this being paradise after all.

"Are you alright, carino?", asked a heavily accented voice.

Percy looked up, following the chains to the one holding them. And oh yes, this must be paradise. Because there was a handsome angel, with olive-skin, muscular, sharp cheekbones and the most impossible, dark eyes Percy had ever seen. A mess of black curls hung into his handsome face and black-feathered wings framed this picture of perfection. Percy licked his lips, to make sure he wasn't drooling. Never before had he seen something so... dark. Everything in his world was bright and colorful, to the point of being painful to the eye.

"Yes", nodded Percy slowly. "Am I in paradise? Are you an angel? Are you my angel? Am I dead?"

He was pretty sure his name was 'Percy' and not 'Carino', but with a smirk like that, this stranger could call him anything he wanted, really. As long as he kept looking at him like that.

Nico chuckled darkly. This was by far the most fascinating creature he had ever encountered. Normally the blessings would react with fear and panic. Well, not all of them – Leo had been very Leo about it and ranted and rambled and asked a billion questions. And Annabeth had tried to get as much knowledge about them as possible. But Percy? He was just adorable. And it seemed he was not the only one thinking so. Poseidon next to Hades' throne chuckled too. The guards and servants were standing behind the respective thrones of their charges. Silena, the king's maid, giggled delighted, holding onto Charles' hand where the mated pair stood behind Hades and Poseidon. Triton next to Thanatos huffed slightly and rolled his eyes, his owner's hand on his hair, caressing them. Behind them stood Clarisse the guard and Chris the manservant, both looking not very impressed. Leo sat on the ground between Hazel and Frank – the only mated pair of the royal children – getting pat and trying hard not to burst into laughter. Hazel's servant Piper and her guard Jason looked mildly amused. And don't get Nico started on his own maid and guard. Reyna snorted and shook her head, Annabeth bit her lips hard to keep from chiding him. It didn't work.

"Really, Percy? Really? That is your reaction to waking up chained to a throne?", grunted Annabeth, raising one eyebrow. "And asking if you can keep the guy holding the chain? Really?"

Percy jumped up surprised, eyes wide. He looked shocked, as though he had seen a ghost. Annabeth's eyes softened a little. She turned pleading eyes on Nico, asking silently to give them a moment. The prince turned toward his family. Hades' throne stood in the middle, was the largest. Right to him was Thanatos', next to Thanatos' was Nico's. The throne on Hades' left was empty – Bianca's throne, but she was with the hunt – and next to it stood Hazel's. Three smaller thrones were lined on either side too, for Hades' and Poseidon's children, but those were at camp for training.

"Father, do you think we can give them a moment?", asked Nico, looking at Hades.

"Of course I'll clear my throne room so your pet can have a heart-to-heart with your servant."

The king heaved an annoyed sigh but took the golden chain off his throne, guiding Poseidon with him. Thanatos did the same with Triton. Hazel kissed Leo's head and took Frank's hand. Their servants and guards left too, aside from Annabeth. In the end, there were only Leo, Annabeth and a very confused Percy left in the room. Annabeth ran over to him and hugged the air out of him. They were soon joined by Leo, his chain rattling but long enough to reach them.

"I'm so happy you're pretty!", exclaimed Leo. "I missed you so, so, so much, Perce! Gods, I have to tell you so many things! Look, look! I'm pregnant! First child! It's going to be a girl!"

"Leo, slow down", grunted Annabeth and glared at him before turning to Percy. "Hey, Percy."

"Uhm... Hey, Annabeth. Leo. So... I _am_ dead and this _is_ paradise?", concluded Percy nervously.

"No, Percy. The rift, it connects our ocean with the underworld", replied Annabeth and shook her head. "You were unconscious and brought here. This is the royal palace. They're demons, Percy. The race that rules down here. And that was the royal family."

"Palace. Royals. Demons. Okay", nodded Percy slowly, still confused. "Chain?"

"I know you probably thought the same as we did when you woke up – those creatures are exotic", grinned Annabeth softly. "Well, they think the same about us. They think the one mermaid or merboy that lands in their realm every year is a blessing from the gods. These creatures are different than us, they're... they have a hard time conceiving. They think that our fertility is special, so they keep us as pets because we're exotic to them and they keep us for... well, breeding."

"And that's why Leo's pregnant?", asked Percy with large eyes, staring at Leo.

"Yes", nodded Leo, grinning broadly, hands resting on his pregnant belly. "But it's alright! I know it sounds scary and all, but Frank and Hazel – my owners – they're amazing and they _really_ love me and I love them and they already love the baby even though it's not here yet and they treat me all special and tender and careful as though I'm fragile ever since I'm pregnant. It's really sweet."

"So... you're held captive as a sex-slave and pet for breeding and you're _happy_?", questioned Percy.

"The demons treat us far better than our own people ever have, Percy", whispered Annabeth, caressing his hair. "We're a blessing from their gods. We bear the life they need and crave. We're special. They treat us like something valuable and precious. Not like worthless scum, like the people of Olympus did just because we are orphans. We're not threatened with death, just because we're too pretty for the queen to bear. And the one that owns me, I... I love her. She's... amazing. She protects me and cares for me and loves me. Honestly, ever since I was 'sacrificed', my life has been better than ever before. I can't force you to like this place, but me and Leo, we're happy."

"Okay", nodded Percy and pulled his legs up, resting his chin on his knees. "And my angel?"

"He's a demon. Were you listening at all!", huffed Annabeth annoyed.

"He's handsome and his smile is nice. Demons are supposed to be cruel, disgusting creatures. I remember the tales from the orphanage", protested Percy confused. "And he's gorgeous."

"He's the prince", interjected Leo, grinning slightly. "Prince Nico di Angelo della Morte."

"See! Angel! He _is_ an angel!", exclaimed Percy triumphantly.

"An angel of death. A demon", sighed Annabeth and shook her head.

"So can I keep him?", asked Percy, tilting his head.

"It's more a matter of him keeping you, Percy", replied Annabeth softly. "See, they normally sell our people. For a lot of money. But sometimes, like with Leo, the royal family keeps them."

"Oh...", nodded Percy with a frown. "But I don't want to be sold to someone somewhere far away. Now that I finally have you back, I want to stay with you!"

"Okay, okay. Now, let's not think about that now. You must be starving and tired and you probably still ache all over", whispered Annabeth. "I'll ask the royal family to take care of you, mh?"

Percy nodded slowly, his eyelids heavy. She was right, he was tired. And in pain. Sleep sounded good. And after that, maybe food. Mh, and that angel. He'd love for the angel to feed him grapes...

/break\

"You like him", chimed Hazel, nudging Nico while the family stood outside the throne room.

"I hope you're going to keep him, because if I just cleared my throne room for some random pet, you're in a lot of trouble", grunted Hades with a glare, arms around Poseidon's waist.

Poseidon hummed softly, eyes closed and head resting against his master's shoulder. Hades chuckled softly at that, his mood evening out again, hands resting on Poseidon's stomach.

"I think he's adorable", cooed Silena (while trying to braid Poseidon's hair. Hades disapproved).

"He's too hyperactive", grunted Clarisse and shook her head. "It's like Leo 2.0."

"No. He's not as bad as Leo. I don't think anyone is", countered Reyna, shaking her head.

"Point taken", agreed Chris next to Clarisse with a grin.

"Oi!", protested Frank with a glare. "Our Leo is unique. And way prettier than this one."

"I wouldn't agree to that", drawled Nico, exchanging glares with Frank.

"Boys, down", grunted Piper and rolled her eyes. "It's good you don't agree on this, otherwise you'd be fighting over who would get which one. This way, Frank has Leo, Nico can have the new one."

"Piper is right", agreed Jason – and of course Hazel's guard would agree with his mate.

"I'm going back in now", grunted Nico, tired of waiting.

He opened the doors, closely followed by Reyna. What he found was his precious future pet, curled together on the cushions next to Nico's throne, seemingly asleep. He smiled a little as he walked over to the sleeping merboy. Pushing a strand of black hair out of the beautiful face, Nico slowly cradled the boy to his chest and carried him off toward his private chambers.

"Annabeth, Silena, Chris, Piper. Would you mind preparing a meal for him? Something to show him what the underworld has to offer. I want it rich and with plenty fresh fruits and flesh and... no. Fish is a bad idea, I suppose. Well, you'll think of something", ordered Nico.

"If you wouldn't take all our private servants to do the cook's job, that would be brilliant", grunted Hades with a glare. "Don't pamper your pet like that before you even bought him!"

"Oh, because you didn't send out errand boys to get blueberries from the other side of our realm just because Poseidon had cravings last month", snorted Nico with a teasing grin.

"We can talk about those things once your pet bore you six healthy, beautiful children", replied Hades unimpressed, sitting down on his throne and pulling Poseidon onto his lap. "Right now you don't even own the boy yet. And I hope you're aware that this will make you personally bankrupt."

"I don't care. I want him", growled Nico darkly, staring longingly down at the unconscious boy.

"Sounds to me like the right start", whispered Poseidon with a small grin.

"If you'd excuse me now", grunted Nico and headed off.

/break\

Percy moaned softly when he woke up next. He felt well-rested. And this felt even more amazing than the pillows. Smiling softly, he stretched and rolled over before curling together again.

"You're half-fish, not half-cat. Stop acting like a cat, carino", chuckled Nico amused.

"I like being comfortable", mumbled Percy and sat up, looking over at the prince. "But you got something wrong there. My name is Percy, well Perseus technically speaking, but everybody just calls me Percy, it's shorter. Anyway, my name is Percy and not Carino."

"Carino isn't a name", chuckled Nico amused. "It means 'pretty' in the language of my people."

"Oh", mumbled Percy and blushed a bright purple.

"I got you food. Are you hungry... Percy?", asked Nico, tasting the name on his tongue. "Perseus. Percy. Perseus. No, I think I prefer Perseus, it fits you far better. It sounds mythical and beautiful, just like you are. I'll call you Perseus. Now, are you hungry, Perseus?"

Percy shivered at the way Nico said his name. "Uhm. Yes, please. Very hungry."

"Wonderful", smiled Nico brilliantly and got out of the way – giving Percy a view of a large table filled with all different kinds of food. "Take whatever you want. Don't be... shy..."

He hadn't even finished the sentence when Percy was already wolfing down a baguette with cheese and ham. Nico chuckled softly and sat down at the foot-end of the bed, next to Percy. He observed the boy. He wasn't timid like others had acted, or skeptical that the food was poisoned. He just ate.

"Mh! Oh, what's that? I've never seen a thing like this!", exclaimed Percy, holding a pomegranate.

Nico took it from him, their hands touching for only a moment. Then he broke the fruit in half and handed one half over to Percy before demonstrating how to peel the seeds out, popping one into his mouth. Percy tilted his head curiously, but did as Nico had done. He moaned softly.

"Oh, this is good, this is the best thing I've ever eaten", gasped Percy and licked his lips.

"You're fascinating", muttered Nico as he observed Percy's tongue.

The merboy blushed slightly. "Thank you, I guess. You too. I mean, you're fascinating. You have... wings. Can you... fly? Really fly? And you're so dark. I've never seen something so... dark. Not just your, well, looks, but your... aura. Everything here is so dark. It's beautiful."

"Would you like to fly with me?", offered Nico softly.

Percy stared surprised for a second. And then he put the pomegranate away and nodded wildly. For someone bound to water, the sky had always been the limit. Yes, merpeople could walk the shore, their tails could turn into legs, but flying? That was the impossible feast. He smiled so brilliantly at Nico that the demon felt blinded by its radiance. Both stood and Nico slowly laid his arms around Percy's waist, while Percy wrapped his own arms around Nico's neck, holding close as he could hear the wings flapping. Nico held him, secure and safe, as he flew out of the window. A laugh, far purer a sound than anything Nico had ever heard, ripped from Percy's throat as they soared the sky. They could see the villages and rivers and woods and just all of Elysium's beauty.

"This place is amazing", whispered Percy when they landed back on Nico's window-sill.

"It's my realm", nodded Nico. "And I always loved it. But I also always wanted someone to share its beauty with. I... want to keep you. I want to buy you and keep you and make you mine."

His arms were still around Percy's waist when they stood back in the bedroom. Percy looked up at him with a blush on his cheeks and his eyes wide. Those eyes. When Percy had first woken up and looked at Nico with these clear, bright Emeralds, Nico knew he was a goner. Never before had he seen eyes comparable to those. No jewel they dug out of their deep caves would ever shine more brilliant. No treasure of the underworld would ever compare to this extraordinaire creature.

"So that means that you _are_ my angel then", whispered Percy, slowly leaning in. "Will you take care of me? Will I... still be free? We merpeople need water and freedom."

"I will take you to the sea and I will swim with you myself. You can roam the streets and all of Elysium shall be your playground whenever I'm not in need of your company", replied Nico.

"And when will you be in need of my company?", questioned Percy, hands against Nico's chest.

"During official meetings, such as the one earlier, the pets have to be chained to the thrones. We have to keep up a certain appearance for the public and even more so for our visitors", answered Nico, his hands sliding lower to squeeze Percy's behind. "And, of course, when I take you for pleasure and bring you to the climaxes of ecstasy and make you carry my children."

"Annabeth already said your people have a weird obsession with that", frowned Percy reluctantly.

"My father has had three queens before he took Poseidon as his pet. The first queen died giving birth to Thanatos, the second queen lived through Bianca's birth but died weeks after my birth due to infection, Hazel's mother nearly took Hazel with her to the grave. To keep both alive, lover and child, after a birth, it's close to a miracle", replied Nico softly.

"How ironic", mused Percy thoughtful. "Having children was never a problem for my people. Being attacked by human sailors and caught in their nets and killed by them was what took most parents from my race. My own too. Now tell me, how many have died at the hands of humans?"

"None, sans the insane", replied Nico truthfully. "Humans don't venture into the depth of the underworld. Only those who dare to travel the human world die at the humans' hands."

Humans were the most dangerous predators Percy knew and to know this place was safe from them, it was a relief. At least as big as finding Annabeth and Leo still alive. Whatever Annabeth may claim, this was indeed paradise. The place of his dreams, fulfilling all his dreams.

"Then I will be yours. If you will be mine", murmured Percy, sealing Nico's lips with his own.

"I am already a slave to you", replied Nico as they parted. "One look from your eyes and I will gladly do whatever it is you wish for. I will lay Elysium to your feet and carry you on my hands."

/break\

After seeing some of the demons that took an interest in buying him, Percy found himself all the more happy that the prince had chosen him. He had to admit, he was nervous when Nico carried him to the prince's chambers. Their chambers, as Nico had corrected him.

"Are you truly ready to be mine?", whispered Nico as he laid him out on the large bed.

"I think... I think I have been waiting for you for years", murmured Percy, arms around Nico's neck to pull him into a heated kiss. "Take me, my prince and master."

Nico found himself quite eager to obey his new pet's wishes. As he had said, he was already a slave to the boy with the startling green eyes. Kissing the other again passionately, their tongues caressing each other as their hands wandered over the foreign bodies. Percy found himself fascinated by the feathered wings, tenderly caressing them. While Nico's fingers played with the sensitive skin on his pet's fins. Their thin robes fell to the ground without a sound. Nico's skin was hot, a new and fascinating sensation for Percy, while Percy's skin was unnaturally cold to Nico's touch, with small scales around his fins at arms and legs. Curious lips were dragged over Percy's skin, Nico's tongue tracing the scales, tasting the salty skin and enjoying the squirming of his pet.

"You need to spread your legs for me", suggested Nico as he noticed that those were firmly pressed together. "Alas... you're not ready for that yet. Don't worry, carino, if you wish to take it slow, we can. I will wait for you. There is no reason to be nervous, prezioso."

"N—No nervous", mumbled Percy embarrassed and spread his legs. "Not used to legs."

"For that, you walk quite well", noted Nico, stroking blue thighs. "And have amazing legs."

"My tail is far more impressive", grinned Percy teasingly. "And Leo, Annabeth and I, we... used to walk the shores, to gather shells. Only... safe shores, those where no humans sailed..."

Nico hummed in reply, lips too busy with Percy's neck to truly answer. He sat comfortably between Percy's legs now, one hand still on the merboy's thighs, running up and down the cold flesh, the other teasing a half-hard cock into a full erection. As he accomplished his task at hand, he slipped his hands down to fondle his lover's balls, just to notice a keen wetness.

"How... curious...", observed Nico intrigued, slipping a single digit into the self-lubed hole. "Ready for the taking, I would say. Then again, I'm not sure what I expected from a species where males can bear child... What do you say, bel amato, ready for... more?"

Percy nodded wildly, wrapping his legs eagerly around Nico's waist to pull him closer. The prince had use some strength to push himself off enough to position himself properly and easily slip into the slippery hole. Percy welcomed him, embraced him like this was how they belonged. Both were eager to please the other and as they rocked together and as their hands explored their partner's bodies, they were in utter bliss. Blue hands were holding onto olive-skinned shoulders, claw-like nails breaking skin, but in the heat of the moment, neither truly cared. Teeth, sharp as fangs, broke Percy's skin as Nico marked what would be his forever at the highest point of ecstasy. A whimper escaped pale purple lips as Percy came, the most delicate sound Nico could picture. He growled himself, greedy for more of those sounds and more of Percy in general. But hearing this and feeling the way Percy's channels pulsed around his cock, it was enough for him to finish too. He spend his seed deep inside his new mate, hoping it would soon bear fruit. Kissing Percy again, he laid down behind the merboy, his arms around Percy's waist, fingers drawing on Percy's stomach.

"Now all that's left to do is wait...", hummed Percy, observing Nico's hands. "And repeat the deed. Often. Very, very often. In different positions. Oh, maybe while flying too?"

"You are... completely fascinating", mumbled Nico and shook his head astonished.

/Five Years Later\

Nico walked with his head held high. Mostly so that the heavy crown would not fall off his head. Bothersome, heavy thing. But that was the cross a king had to bear, he supposed. With Bianca in the legion and Thanatos as the head of the military, they had assumed control over their realm themselves. No one to trust more than the own family. And Thanatos had never truly desired to be king anyway. Hades had taken Poseidon three years ago to 'live the rest of their life in a cozy, little lake house without having to worry about the underworld collapsing around us all, damn it!'. Nico heaved a sigh as he opened the door to their royal chamber. They had made some adjustments. There was a channel of salt-water running around the their bed in a circle. Percy was laying on said bed at the moment, all sprawled out, his highly pregnant belly pointing up. Twins. The underworld rejoiced as their queen was blessing their king with two children at once.

"Percy, amato marito, are the children ready?", asked Nico, seeing that this was not the case.

Bianca Maria, their firstborn child, was sitting perched up on the wardrobe, black wings flapping. And Donny, their wonderful little son was swimming in a circle around the bed at full-speed, green tail flapping. Percy just had enough energy to flip him the bird.

"Highly pregnant with twins. I am not even going to try and get Bia down from there, I'll probably break my neck. And I want to see you try and take Donny out of the water", snorted Percy.

"Bianca Maria di Angelo della Morte, you will right now move your behind down from there and pray that you're already dressed, young lady!", warned Nico in his most authorial voice. "_Donny_."

With Donny, it was most of the times enough to just say his name in a certain voice. The little merboy flopped out of the water, head tilted curiously as he walked over to his daddy to hug him.

"Daddy, will Sander be there too? Coz I don't wanna go to stupid, boring dinner if Sander isn't coming", mumbled Donny, voice muffled by Nico's stomach, at least until he looked up at Nico with those pleading, large sea-green eyes. "_Please_ don't make me go to boring dinner!"

"Since your uncle Thanatos will be there, his guard and manservant will be present too. And Chris and Clarisse can hardly leave Sander alone. So yes, Sander will be there too", replied Nico.

Within a second, the little whirlwind ran through the room, picking his clothes and getting dressed, just to stand in the doorway and look at his family demandingly. "Mommy! Get up, we'll be late!"

Percy cocked an 'are you kidding me?' eyebrow and stood, with the help of his mate. Nico placed a supporting arm around Percy's waist as they walked along the halls, with their children left and right to them. This was the royal life Nico had always pictured. A beautiful queen and wonderful heirs.

_~*~ The End ~*~_


End file.
